OSHA: Injury Reporting Via Web Now Available

A year after OSHA promised employers it would provide an online method to report injuries and fatalities, the agency activated a Web page Dec. 24, 2015.

The form allows employers to satisfy the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's rule requiring employers to provide notification of fatalities within eight hours and hospitalizations, amputations or eye losses within 24 hours.

The rule requiring hospitalization and injury notification took effect for federal OSHA jurisdictions on Jan. 1, 2015.

At the time, OSHA officials said an online form would be provided that employers could use. However, electronic and programming issues delayed the project's completion, OSHA officials said whenever asked about the form's status. Instead, employers were told to contact their OSHA area office or call the agency at 800.321.6742 to make reports. Employers may still use those options.

In addition to asking for the employer's name, address and contact information, the form requests:

• A description of what happened,
• The names of the victims,
• What the injured employee was doing before the incident,
• The type of injury and
• What object or substance “directly harmed” the employee.

Click here to see OSHA’s “Serious Event Reporting Online Form.”